


2004, the year of new beginnings

by Derry_Girls_on_Ice



Category: Derry Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 14:24:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19175140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Derry_Girls_on_Ice/pseuds/Derry_Girls_on_Ice
Summary: In a time jump seeing the girls (and James) done University and off in their normal lives, they all come home for Christmas to celebrate the holidays. With most of the girls busy you get a look at Erin and James's relationship over time, mainly the year 1997 and onward.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not a great summary or title, needs improvement really. I have been writing this for a long time and am trying to write in advance to stay on top of it. Flashbacks are stated and if otherwise not stated assume it is the Christmas of 2004, putting the girls and James at around 25/26 years old.

It has been a few years since James had seen the girls. Ever since he left Londonderry for university it has been much tougher to see everyone. No one stayed in Derry, Michelle is arguably the closest to it and she is in Belfast studying business, personally James thinks she should’ve learned law so then she could learn how not to break the law so frequently but she just called him a ‘dickhead’ and went on with her day. James does see her the most frequently because of visits up to Derry to see his aunt who has been feeling a bit under the weather these last few months.

It was harder to see her and Michelle during university, he didn’t have a car and the trip back otherwise was expensive, and time consuming if he didn’t fly. He used to travel up to Birmingham which was a two-hour trip to meet up with Erin who was only two hours away herself. She went to Aberystwyth University in Wales for creative writing. She didn’t want to go but her granddad really encouraged her to go out for the best writing program in the UK, after all times had changed and civil war wasn’t so imminent.

Those road trips to go back to Derry were a cracker of a time, especially for James who was at Imperial College in London, he got wait-listed for the longest time but was finally accepted just before summer really started in Derry. He only went to London because of his mums demands for a high education and for his free labour for her self-adhesive label company.

The road trips stopped soon after Erin’s granddad passed away. Erin was such a mess by the time she reached Birmingham that James took over driving for the trip so she could sleep for awhile before getting home and being tossed into the funeral plans. When they arrived though Orla had organized most of it with her boyfriend Harry’s help as well as Mary and Gerry. Her aunt Sarah had just wallowed in her room and when Erin arrived, she followed suit. On the day of the funeral she needed real coaxing from Gerry to start getting ready, but Gerry was busy helping Mary who was struggling with her fathers death but still working around the clock, so he called James to help Erin get out the door and to the funeral home in time because there wasn’t enough space for her in the main car.

After the funeral and the trip back to Birmingham James found it hard to speak to Erin. He called her a few times, but she just wasn’t interested in talking anymore, she dove deep into her studies and began to shut James out. Soon enough James got a job at a local shop and earned enough money to buy a beater car and make the drive up by himself. He missed having Erin by his side, he missed how she always drummed her fingers on the steering wheel when they were belting out the latest pop songs on the radio, and how they would argue about stupid things, plus she always laughed at his jokes no matter how stupid they were. But James decided not to dwell and went on with his life and slowly made less trips out to Derry as a whole. But this year his mum is heading up to her sister Deidre’s for Christmas, so he has decided to join, all his friends are supposed to be back as well, even Clare who lives in Dublin with her partner, Kathy, who she met at Trinity College during some finance class. She isn’t up her frequently because Kathy is a protestant and it still isn’t taken very well up in these parts.

“Auntie! I’m here from London! Mum says hi, wishes you well and all, she comes up in a few days” James hollers from the doorway, shutting the door quietly behind him.

“Ah James, about time really. I am honestly quite knackered, bag of crisps on the table if you want it cause that’s the only food I am making today.” Deirdre responds from the couch watching TV, crisps in hand with a rerun of coronation street on.

“I’m okay Auntie, I ate before I came, is Michelle coming up today or tomorrow?” Leaning over James hugs his aunt from behind, she lifts one hand to hug his arm back.

“She’s already here my dear, she has already gone off to the pub and said if you whined about not meeting you here to tell you to feck off.” She replies with a laugh

“Sounds about right for Michelle. I am going to go put my stuff away and I’ll head out to the pub to get a beer.”

“Okay dear, but if you come home fluthered I’ll kick you out of the house without a second thought, you hear?” she yells after James

“Got it Auntie.” And with that he drops his stuff in his room and headed to the pub.

At the pub however, things were going worse than James imagined.

“Orla! Does it look good!” Erin hollers from a barstool at the end of the bar.

“I don’t know Erin; do you really think standing on the chair is a good idea?”

“Do I look better from this angle or not?” Orla contemplates it but realizes she looks like a swan with a noose around its neck.

“Are you sure this is the best way to forget about Sean?” she decides to ignore Erin’s question as it will hurt her less than the answer she thought of.

“This isn’t about him Orla, it is about me, I don’t need him, I could have any guy in the room, plus vodka is a better substitute than any man.” Erin starts dancing a bit on the stool despite the bartender yelling at her to get down.

“If she falls you will have to catch her, you always have been the stronger one.”

“James, you’re back!” Orla whips around and throws herself into James’ awaiting arms.

“Hello dear, how you’ve been?” he releases her, but her hands hold his arms in place, and soon he mirrors the position.

“Oh, you know, Harry and I keep arguing about how to expand Step by step, our aerobics company and whether if we open a second branch it should also be called step by step or be called one step up!” with a laugh James responds

“Well that will be a tough choice, but I wish luck to you and Harry, I am sure you will figure it out. May I ask what is wrong with Erin?” They both turn to see Erin doing hippy dances to rap music that’s been blasting off the jukebox.

“Her and Sean broke up again because Erin does not think he is the one and is now questioning it like normal.”

“Has anyone tried to get her down from there?” Orla sighs and rolls her eyes slightly. James never was the sharpest.

“Michelle gave it a shot, gave up, found a fella and left with him. The bartender has been yelling for the past half hour at her, so with that good luck to ya.” Orla gives him a shove and soon he is in front of Erin strategizing.

“Erin? Erin? You could really hurt yourself up there on the stool. If you get hurt your Ma will have me buried where Toto used to be.”

“James, is that really you?” Erin opens her eyes, and James realizes how glossy they are.

“Yeah Erin I am back from London, how much have you had to dri-” before James can finish Erin hops down off the stool and lands in front of James.

“I drank a lot James; mammy might kill me if I come home like this.” James tries to steady Erin who is swaying back and forth only for her to lean into him and hug him.

Orla has been watching by the bar as her cousin danced with James whose ears are burning quite red from the move. She snorts “vodka is a better substitute for any man, huh?” and sneaks out the door, happily abandoning James with Erin knowing she is in good hands.

“Let me take you home Erin.” James gently begins moving her arms from his sides when she looks up at him.

“Wow James, so forward, at least buy me a drink first.” Erin’s grin could not have gotten bigger as James’ face engulfs with a blush.

“Uh-um, Erin, its not that I don’t – I don’t mean – Michelle would-” James sputters out, trying to get his brain to piece together a coherent thought with very limited success.

“James! It’s a jokeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Now take me on a walk Maguire.” Erin wraps her arm around James, and they leave the pub.

As they walk arm and arm in the cool night, Erin’s breath puffing along noisily, trying her best to sober up before she got back home to her mums.

“So why did you and Sean breakup?” James asks trying to look at Erin, whose eyes were wandering and glossy from her inebriated state.

“I just don’t think we’re compatible y’know? He prefers beer, I prefer vodka. He doesn’t like Take that and I love ‘em. He thinks Apple is a cracker name for a kid and I told him that Apple is a fruit not a child, but he supports Coldplay and the blonde. He says friends should have ended sooner and that he loved Joey and Rachel together.” Erin rants loudly, not caring that it was late and that her neighbours would tell her mum in the morning.

“He thought Rachel and Joey were a good fit? Erin, he’s off his rocker!” James grins at her, which she reciprocates with a laugh.

“Maybe I will try being single for awhile. It can’t hurt right?” Erin pauses mid stride and sways in front of James waiting for his response.

“Time for yourself sounds great Erin. You can read me all your creative works for awhile instead. How is the talented writer doing anyways? James asks, rubbing her arms before taking one back into his and continuing to walk with her.

“Ah James you are too kind. It has been a long while since writing. Sean didn’t like the creative process, he preferred nonfictional. So, I just stopped writing for a bit and kept working my job at the paper, writing about possible incoming storms.” Erin sighs, she knows that Sean wasn’t right for her, but someone needed to fill that hole her granddad left and Sean at the time was a good enough fit back then. But maybe it’s time to grow up and patch the hole herself.

As they stop in front of her house, they share a brief hug goodbye but before Erin can go in James stops her.

“Erin, even if Sean didn’t like it, I would love to hear a story sometime. If you don’t want to read it to me, you can always get Orla to read it to me instead.” They share a laugh and Erin swats his arm.

“Thanks James, you’re too good to me.” With one final hug Erin turns back and heads back inside stumbling on the turn around not quite fully sober yet despite the twenty-minute walk in the cold.

Once she was safely inside James, who’s been quietly chuckling at Erin’s limited success at getting in began heading home. Humming Genie in the bottle, which seems to have been playing on loop at the bar or so he believed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle comes home hungover, and laughs at James's naivety.

#####  Sunday Morning 

Michelle stumbles through the door while James, and her parents are eating breakfast. Her hands can’t seem to leave her head for more than a few seconds at a time.

“Michelle, why are you home so late?” Her father Martin asks, raising an eyebrow in disapproval.

“Aye Da, I got a bit too trashed at the bar last night and needed to stay with a friend.” Everyone at the table cringed and pulled faces at that one, which caused Michelle to laugh.

“Ugh, where’s the ibuprofen? I have a hell of a headache.” Michelle just covers her face with her hands, willing the headache to stop.

“On the counter, left it out for you, and with that I am off to work. James take care of your cousin, don’t let her die in her boke.” Deirdre is disappointed in the sentence, but after all this time she is used to that feeling with Michelle when alcohol is involved, she still remembers getting told about her beating the shite out of a lad named McCarthy. She was apparently plastered beyond belief.

“I shall head out as well, I will drop you off as I’ll be a bit early.” Martin gives his wife a peck on the cheek and they walk out the door together shouting bye over their shoulders.  
As Michelle throws back the pills with some water, she cringes at the monster hangover she’s nursing.

“Where is Quinn?” She asks James much to his surprise.

“Erin? I walked her home from the bar yesterday, why?” James turns to see his cousin with her arms crossed on the counter, head on top of the arms.

“I got a call from Orla last night who said you two looked awfully cozy.” Michelle says with a laugh at James’s confused face

“I just walked her home, nothing happened! It’s Erin for god’s sake, nothing would ever happen!” 

“Oh, catch yourself on James, you and Erin have always had a fucking weird relationship. Remember the poems you asked her to write and read to you? Weird. I was hoping you guys finally did something about it.” Michelle just looks annoyed with James at his response. Poor James however had his head in his hands questioning everything he thought about his and Erin’s relationship.

“Anyways, before you have a quarter life crisis, just want to give you a heads up that I am having a party next week because I am done business school. Motherfucker I am done with school and proud.” Michelle doesn’t bother waiting for a response for the English prick whose life has now become a disaster with a sentence. She rolls her eyes and leaves the room to go sleep. James just remained at the table running through all of the interactions he and Erin had shared over the years.

##### Spring 1997

James’s head was in Erin’s lap as she sat on a hill on a sunny day in Derry. She is reading some of the poems she wrote for an English class while James listens happily, eyes closed soaking up the sun.

“That’s all the new ones I have got for class James, I have to say they are not as good as my creative ones, but I still like them.” Erin smiles down at James, admiring how the sun shines in the blues of his eyes.

“Keep going, read the creative ones, I like hearing your writing.” James opens his eyes and grins as Erin meets his gaze.

“Okay, but only for you and so help me god if you tell the others!” James just laughs and shakes his head.

“I would never! Risking the wrath of Erin Quinn is not something on my bucket list.” Erin runs her fingers through his hair in response, eliciting a small smile from James.

“So, this one I wrote a little while ago, no title yet, but here goes nothing.

Have you ever felt a love for someone?  
You don’t love them, not like that,  
You know that, but you know you could.  
You realize that falling for them would be so simple, easy even.  
It’s like the bud of a flower, ready to blossom but not quite there yet.  
And you like them, you admire them even,  
You think about them often, but you don’t love them.  
You could though, you know you could.  
But now is not the right time,  
Too much is happening, and they may not feel the same way.  
You keep that hope and affection like an open door,  
Not quite ready to peek in yet, but not even close to ready it.” Erin finishes, blushing lightly.

“Wow. That’s beautiful Erin. Very poetic.”Erin snorts at this, but James ignores her and sits up, looking at the words Erin has written in her book. He runs his fingers over the pages, gently feeling the pen marks and the indents she has caused.

“It is cheesy, but my English teacher says I should try to write a variety of topics before I apply anywhere so they can see my range.” Erin says shyly.

“You are going to go for creative writing!” James shouts hoping up in the process.

“Yeah, we all discussed it and my granda really wants me to go for something I love.” Erin places the book on the grass and slowly stands up next to James.

“I told you, it would go great! I am so proud of you!” He picks her up and spins her around, they both laugh during the process, and after a few spins James places her back down on the grass. He doesn’t let go though and neither does she. They don’t speak during the hug, something unsaid passing between them, but the sun has begun to set and they let go soon enough to begin to pack up their stuff and head home before dark fearing their guardians wrath.

“Thanks for believing in me James. You are the reason I am going to a creative writing program.” She bumps shoulders with him in thanks.

“Ah Erin, you give me too much credit, your wonderful writing will get you there all on its own.”

“Goodnight James.” She says before embracing him in a tight hug with them swaying slightly.

“Goodnight Erin, and please never stop writing. You’ll be famous one day before long and I will go to the store and buy every book! Happy to be the guy you used to know!” James yells walking backwards down the street.

“Catch yourself on James! I couldn’t forget you if I tried!” She yells back, smiling at James’s loud laugh as it echoes down the road.


End file.
